The Plan in the Seed
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewChristmas is not just a birth it is the revelation of a plan... A plan in a seed.
Notes
Transcript
Everyone has their own Christmas traditions, their favorite way to describe Christmas, and their favorite version of a Christmas movie.
1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.
2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,
5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.
6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Long before there was ever a census in the Roman Empire—in fact, long before there was even a Roman Empire at all…
Before Mary and Joseph… Before the division of Israel and Judah… Before David was king…
Before Abraham’s meeting with God… Before cain killed Abel… Even before that fateful day when God formed Adam from the dust of the ground…
There was a plan…
Before the stars were in the sky, or the plants grew… While the earth was still formless and void… There was a plan.
Before He ever spoke light into existence or set the earth on its axis, the master craftsman set the blueprints for a world in which He would carry out His divine purpose.
He knew when this plan was set into motion it would be a bumpy ride for mankind, but His plan would prevail.
He knew before the first moments of time what it would cost, the price that would be paid.
But He had a plan. It was a good plan, created by the only qualified plan maker.
It would take generations to accomplish, a bloodline to protect, tragedies to work through, but the plan would prevail.
It would take an expanse of cosmic energy to begin the process, the culmination of all power to launch, but for one whose power is limitless, it was as simple as the words… Let there be light…
And in a moment, the plan that had been in the works for eons of time was suddenly in action…
Light and darkness, evening and morning, plants and animals, stars in the sky! A series of events so immediate that future generations might call it a big bang…
It was there in God’s chosen location where life flourished, a perfect little spot in the expanse of universe. Close enough to the sun to be warm, but not so close as to burn up.
A beautiful conglomeration of the right combination of water and oxygen, air and light, on a rock hung on nothing, but staying by the command of the word of God.
Earth. A garden that would house God’s most precious creation, the only thing He would model after himself… Mankind.
Oh He knew. He knew what was to come, the pain that such a creation would cause, but He had a plan.
Just as He knew it would happen, God’s prize creation falls in disobedience, hides in fear, but God had a plan.
The plan would take quite some time to accomplish, in fact it could be likened unto the growing of a tree… it started with a seed…
15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
The plan was in the seed… The seed the enemy tried to kill with Abel.. The blessed promise given to Eve…
This seed is the rest Lamech was looking for when he named Noah saying,
29 Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.”
But the plan was still in the seed…
The seed that Abraham carried…
The seed through which God tells Abraham,
18 “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
This seed will be a priest in a line with no beginning and no end.. Heb. 6:20
He would be called the king of peace and righteousness.. (Heb 7:2)
He is the stairway to heaven Jacob dreamed about… (Gen 28)
He’s seed that will hold the scepter of Judah, the bearer of the ruler’s staff… (Gen 49:10)
He’s the initiator of Joseph’s rise to power.
He’s the I AM in Moses’s burning bush… (ex. 3)
This seed is the sacrifice of the spotless passover lamb… (Ex 12:5)
He is the blood above the doorpost that tells death to move on by (Ex 12:13)
This seed is our passover (1 Cor 5:7)
He’s the rock that gives water in the wilderness (ex 17:6)
He’s the song of moses (Ex 15)
He is manna come down from Heaven (Ex 16)
He’s the meeting place on Mount Sinai.. (Ex. 19)
He’s the fulfillment of the requirement of the Law and the prophets.
This is the plan… Carried in a seed…
His character is called merciful… (Ex 33:19; Luke 1:72)
He’s the atonement required by the priests (Lev. 17:11)
He’s the symbol of healing on Aaron’s staff (Num 21:9)
He’s the mercy seat set above the arc…
He’s the presence in the Holy of Holies… Ex.
He’s the temple to be raised up in 3 days… (Matt.)
He’s the radiance of all Glory, the exact representation of God in all His splendor… (Heb.)
This is the plan… from the beginning…
The plan in the seed… The plan started before creation…
He’s the courage and strength of Joshua (Josh 1:9)
This seed is the wind that parted the red sea and the jordan river…
He is the captain of our salvation, the commander of the armies of the Lord… (Josh 5:14-15)
He is the inheritance of the Levites… Josh 21)
He’s ruth’s kinsman redeemer (Ruth)
He’s samuel’s faithful priest (1 Sam 2:35)
A king in the line of David (2 Sam 7:12)
He’s called the anointed one by the psalmist (ps 2:2), Holy by the Angels, (Isa 6), and Beloved by the Father (Matt 3:17)…
Isaiah called His name Immanuel, God with us (Isa 7:9)
He is the costly cornerstone of Zion (Isa 28:16), the foundation on which we stand…
This is the plan! The plan in the seed…
He’s the fulfillment of prophecy, the redeemer Israel seeks, the savior King…
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
This is the plan of God… The plan from the beginning. The plan in the seed.
The seed that came wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger…
The seed that seemed so ordinary to some, but extraordinary to the magi.
The seed that Herod tried to kill…
The seed that the shepherds were told of…
The seed whose name is Jesus!
Jesus is not plan B. God’s plan has prevailed from before the beginning of time.
He knew the end from the beginning. He knew the plan that would unfold before He uttered the first words of creation.
I happen to think that the angels were watching the unfolding with anticipation and when the time finally came for them to make the announcement, they couldn’t help themselves:
9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Christ is the plan. The plan from eternity.
Christmas is more than the birth of a baby, it is the emergence of God’s plan on the earth!
This is the plan that had been stirring in the heart of God from the beginning, rumored in heaven, but finally it was revealed in Jesus.
Christmas is the revelation of Hope to a lost world, rest to a weary nation, revelation to a darkened hour.
The wonder of Christmas is not because of any manmade traditions or marketing to sell presents…
The wonder people sense in their heart is because we are celebrating more than a birth, we are celebrating the revelation of the plan of God!
I just happen to think there’s another stirring in the heavens happening even now as the angels are ripe with anticipation once again, awaiting the order as they did when they revealed Christ to the shepherds, but this time it will be with the sound of a trumpet and it will announce the coming of the king to the whole world…
This time it will not be as a babe in a manger, but as a King in all His splendor.
You can tell the Christmas story however you want to, but in my opinion, Christmas was always the plan.
Pray & Close